Liquid rheostat.



H. A. STEEN. LIQUID RH'EQSTAT.

A PPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1910.

Patented June 25. 1912.

@XM/meow nutren emrne PATENT oinron."

HALFDAN A. STEEN, or vruige/'ArmEn,fWseorisin, AssIGNoB. To ALLIs-CHALMERS COMPANY, l @EPURATION or NEW JERSEY.

LIQUID RHEOSTAT. I

specification 'of Leners Patent.

Patented June. 25, 191.2.

.apjication filed F ptenrber 6, i910. Serial No. 580.535.

To all. whom if-muy concern.'

Be it l-:nown that l, HALFDAN i. STEEN, a subjert of the K ing of Norway, residing at Iililwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of ll'iseonsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements ,in Liruid Rheostats, of which the following is a lull, clear, and enact specification.

My invention relates to liquid rheostats.

It is the object. of ,iy invention to improve the Construction of liquid rlieostats; and to provide one which is cheap, compact, durable, easy to manipulate, inspect, and repair,

and not likely to get out of order. n

A main leature of my invention `isthat one electrode is furnished'by walls of. the receptacle for the liquid, these walls being either integral parts of such reeeptacllevif the latter is of metal, or interior linings of sides of the receptacle, if the latter be of concrete or other vinsulating material; while the other 'electrode is forined by plates immersed in the. liquid and movable, preferabl annullaneously, toward and away from such Vallsl respectively. Preferably, the first electrode is furnished ny two opposite walls rot the receptacle and the second by 'tr-:o plates which are movable inopposite direetions by a common operating device.

Another feature, which may be uned either with the first; or independently ther-cof, eine siste in providing artilieial cooling means which will both diminish the heating of the. rheostat and aid .in the (.-irculation of the liquid therein.

The varioue` novel features of my invention will appear from the description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims. l

Figure l, is a eeetimi of a rheoslat einhodying my ini'ention, the .section being laken :subetantiallj.v on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on the. line 22 of Fig. 1, andli'ig. 3 shows a fragmentary View showing a modification in which the .reeeptaele for the liquid of insulating material having Walls lined 'with metal.

In Jthe arrangement shown in Figsjl and 'ing the resistance of the rheostat.

fitting on right and left hand threaded rod 15 journaled in insulating blocks 1G in `the cover 12 aiulopei'ated by a hand wheel 17.A The platen 13 are connected, by flexible conducting strips 18, to abar 19 at the lower end of'the rheostat. terminal 20, the upper end of which furnishes a binding post 21 for eounectionto the leading-in conductor The terminal 2O is supported in an insulator 23' mounted in the top of the' cover l2. ".The other leadingin conducl tor :24 is connected to a binding post 9.5, mounted on or integral with the, tank 10.

By turning ,the wheel 17, the plates may be moved in opposite directions along the .rod 15, that the).v simultaneoussl",v approach or recede from walls 10a and l0" respef"i\'ely of the tank 10, thus decreasing or ii .rea.s, rThe plates 13 preferably have guides to prevent them from turning with the rod 15 when Lie latter is rotated, these guides here consisting of small plates 25" of insulating Ina.-

terial ka.-tenedto the bottoms of tlieplates 13 and .slotted to fit over ridges extending upward vpom the bottom of the tank 10. These ridge l are shown integral with the ytank, though .it is 'not necessary that they be no. lf itis necessary t-o inspect. or repair thi rlieostat the cover 12 may be 1exmirefl, carrying with il' the whole operating niech anisni and the movable electrode.

The liquid between the two plaies 13 and the walls '10a and 10" respectively tends lo becon'le heated by the. passage, ol the current, while that between the plates 13 has no such tendency. To equalize the vhealing of the. liquid, the plaies 15% are provided with openings 27 about. on a lerel with the surface ot' the liquid, and the heating of' the liquid between the plates 12%. and the walls lOLL'and 1()b produces a circulation ol tlie liquid as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l. This en'culation is upward between tbe. two

plates 13 and the walls 10a and 10",'inward thi-o1 gli the openings 27, dowi'nvard between the plates 13, and outward beneath the lower edges of the plaies 13. This Circulation may be increased and the temperature of the liquid materially reduced by providing a .milling eoil 28 in the space between the 'platesl a circulation of. suiiable 'cooling fluid 'being maintained through this coll.

A Where the coil enters and leaves the tank 10 it is surrounded by insulating bushings 29, to 'prevent the coil 28, it a conductor,

from becoming part of the electrode furnished by the tank 10.

It the receptacle for the liquid of the rheostat is made of some insulating material such as concrete (Fig. walls thereot' may be lined with metal 31. -This lining may be either a complete shell, lining the whole interior ot the tank, or plates mounted on those walls of the tank toward and from which the plates 13 ai'eniovable'. The lining 3l is connected to the binding post 25", to which the leading-in conductor 24 is connected. in any suitable fashion.

My invention is here shown in one of its simplest embodiments, and many modifications may be made in it without departing from the spirit and scope of my invent-ion. All such I aim to cover in the following claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a liquid rheostat., a liquid-containing receptacle, walls of which furnish one electrode of the rheostat, a plurality of electrically connected plates located within the receptacle and forming another electrode thereof, and transmitting means adapted to move said plates toward and away from said respective walls.

2. In a liquid rheostat, a liquid-containing receptacle, walls of which furnish one electrede of the rheostat, a plurality of electrically connected plates located within the receptacle and forming another elect-rode thereof, and transmitting means adapted to move said plates simultaneously toward and away from said respective walls.

3. In a liquid rheostat, a liquid-containing receptacle. walls of which furnish one elec t-rode of the rheostat, a plurality of electrically connected plates located within the receptacle and forming -another electrode thereof, and transmitting members for moving such plates toward and awayfrom said respective walls.

4. In the liquid rheostat, a liquid-contain ing receptacle, opposite walls of which form one electrode of the rheostat, a pair of electrically connected plates located within the liquid .of the rheostat and forming another electrode thereof, and threaded means adapted to move` said plates toward and from said opposite Walls respectively.

A5. In the liquid -rheosta-t, a liquid-containing receptacle, opposite Walls of which form one electrode of the rheostat, a pair of electrically connected plates located within the liquid of the rheostat and forming another electrode thereof, and transmitting, means for simultaneously moving said plates toward and from said opposite walls respec ti vely.

G. In a liquid rheostat, a liquid-containing receptacle, walls of which furnish one elec trode of the rheostat, a plurality ofreliectrically connected members located Within the receptacle and forming another electrode r trically connected members located withinff,-

the receptacle and forming another electrode and away from said respective walls, said members having openings which -permit a circulation of liquid from one side to the 'other of the members and vertically inpthe spaces on the two sides of the members, and a cooling coil in the liquid in the' space between the members.

8. Aliquid rlieostat. including two vrelatively inovable'electrodes, one of such electrodes having an opening which permits the 'liquid to circulate from one side thereof to the other near the top and bottomof the liquid. i

9. A liquid rheost'at including two relatively movable electrodes, one of such electrodes having openings whichpermit the liquid to circulate from one side thereof to the other near the top and bottom of the liquid, and means for cooling the liquid on that side of such electrode which is remote from the other electrode.

l0. A liquid rheostat having electrodes, the resistance of the liquid between which may be varied, and means for causing a circulation of t-he liquid through one of Said electrodes and into and out of the space between such elcctrodes.`

11. A liquid rheostat having electrodes, the resistance of the liquid between which may be varied, and a cooling coil iii the liquid of the rheostat but exterior to the space between such electrodes.

12. In a liquid rheostat, an electrode im- .merscd in liquid land having openin s whereby the liquid may pass from one si e thereof to the other both near the top and near the bottom of the liquid, and a second electrode on one side of said first electrode.

13. In a liquid rheostat, anVA electrode immersed in liquid and having openings whereby the liquid may pass from one si e thereof to the other both near the top and near the bottom of the liquid,'a second electrode on one side of said first electrode, and

a cooling coil on the other side .of said first 14. In a liquid rheostat, a receptacle containing a liquid and itself furnishing one electrode of the rheostat, one or more plates thereof, said members being movable toward depending into the liquid in said receptacle and movable relat-ive to the latter, said plate or plates having openings to' provide for circulation of said liquid, and a removable cover for said rheostat from which said.

plates are supported.

l5. In a liquid rheostat, a receptacle con taining liquid, a removable cover for said receptacle, a plurality of'relatively movable plates supported by said cover and depending into the liquid to form an electrode of the rheostat, said plates being movable with respect to and removable with the cover.

16. In a liquid rheost-at, two electrodes each comprising a pair of electrically connected` plates,the four plates being arranged substantially in line with thoseof one electrode between those of the other, and means for moving 'the plates of one electrode relatively to each other and simultaneously toward or from the adjacent plates respectively of the other. y 17. In a liquid`rheostat, two electrodes, one ofwhich comprises two electrically connected plates which are simultaneously movable toward or away from the other electrode but in opposite directions.

18. In a liquid rheostat, an electrode comprising apair of electrically connected plates simultaneously movable in opposite directions, and another electrode comprising two plates arranged on opposite sides of therst two plates and substantially'in line therewith in the direction o f movement.

19. In a liquid-rheostat, a liquid-containing said plates toward and from each other."

and relatively to the receptacle.

' 21. In a liquid rheostat, a liquid-containing-receptacle forming an elect-rode, a plurality of parallel connected electrode plates 'within said receptacle, andunitary operating means for simultaneously moving said plates toward or from an intermediate point between such plates.

22. In a liquid rheostat, a receptacle'eontaining a liquid and having portions of conducting material, a plurallty of conducting plates immersed in said liquid and respectively forming a portion of a circuit including said liquid and different portions of said receptacle,A said conducting plates being adapted to be moved relatively to said receptacle and relatively to each other.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 23, 1910.

In testimony whereof Iallix my signature,

in the presence of two witnesses.

HALFDAN A. STEEN.

Witnesses:.

CHAs. L. BYRON, Ro. E. STOLL. 

